Rav
Years ago
Thon Maker impresses Boomers coach
Story Link:
http://m.canberratimes.com.au/sport/basketball/thon-maker-impresses-boomers-coach-20140410-36eyw.html
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They've already locked in Dante Exum, the teenager likened to a young Michael Jordan; now Australia's Boomers could add a Kevin Durant-style youngster to their ranks.
Thon Maker, a seven-foot-one 16-year-old centre, has been rated the No.1 second-year high school basketballer in the US and is hot property on the American college market.
Born in South Sudan, the teenager relocated to Australia as a five-year-old.
He spent his formative years Down Under before moving to Virginia to play for the Carlisle School in Martinsville.
So impressive are his ball-handling skills and mobility, Maker has garnered almost one million hits on a YouTube compilation video posted in February.
While he isn't due to graduate from high school until 2016, he's already received offers from powerhouse universities UCLA, Arizona, Georgetown, Miami, Virginia and interest from a host of others.
And Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis is hopeful he'll also represent Australia in years to come, joining the likes of point guard Exum who is expected to be selected in the top five of this year's NBA draft.
Lemanis met with Maker and his guardian Edward Smith last month as part of a global scouting mission.
"I had the opportunity to work him out and got to know him a little bit," Lemanis told AAP.
"He's a really nice kid, impressive in the workout and I think he's got a great future in the game.
"Obviously he's got good size, but what's evident when you start working him out is his agility for someone his height.
"His co-ordination, his ability to handle the ball, his shooting - he's kind of like a Kevin Durant, in that way.
"He's exciting in that he can be one of these versatile players with great size moving forward.
"To have a seven-foot-one kid who can move like him and play on the perimeter, I'm not sure that (Australia) have had that in the past."
While Maker is unavailable for Australia's under-17s world championships campaign in August due to other commitments, Lemanis is optimistic the young centre will, in time, pledge allegiance to the Boomers.
"We just had good discussions and he said he was excited about potentially playing for Australia," he said.
"I guess that's as much as it went.
"I always take people at their word and there's certainly every indication from him and Edward Smith that they're into the Boomers."
"I think we've got an exciting time right now with all sorts of kids coming through - with Dante Exum and Benny Simmons (son of Melbourne Tigers import Dave Simmons).
"We've got a crop of young kids whose fathers were out here as imports initially, and then stayed in Australia and formed their families here.
"So that gives us some different skills and athletic attributes than perhaps we had in the past.
"And now with the Sudanese kids and their development through the Australian system, I think that's another avenue that's very exciting for us and can help change the basketball landscape coming through."
